The Young Queens
by RivkAnn
Summary: The chronicles of the Red Queen and White Queen when they were younger and before Alice came. I own nothing! This is based on Tim Burton's 2010 movie. Please review!
1. Chapter 1: The Birth of a Princess

**After I saw the movie, I wondered what the Red Queen and the White Queen were like as children. I looked on Google and found the movie, then watched the parts involving the Red and White Queens several times so that I could get a better idea of how they acted as children. Reviews are happily accepted, please enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: The Birth of a Princess**

Dawn had not yet struck the Castle of Crims, yet most everyone in the castle was up and about. Servants, maids, and courtiers were all hurriedly walking to the Queen's bedchamber to see the new Princess of Crims, who had been brought into the world in the early hours of the morning.

But as the first maid entered the room excitedly, she took one look at the Princess and fell onto the ground in a dead faint. She wouldn't be the last.

All present who hadn't fainted stared in interest and shock, whispering among themselves:

"Have you ever seen such a head as that?" "It's monstrous! Simply enormous!" "The red hair doesn't help either." "Quite curious, wouldn't you say?"

The Queen, Elise of Crims, held her baby tenderly in her arms. The baby was finally asleep, thank goodness, after what seemed countless hours of crying. The Queen kissed the top of her child's head gently. She would be accepting and loving to her child, no matter how (abnormally) large her head might be.

Her husband, the King Caleb of Crims, stared down at the child with an odd hesitant look on his face. "What shall her name be, my love?"

The Queen thought for a moment, then smiled, cradling the baby in her arms. "Iracebeth. Iracebeth of Crims," she answered firmly, making sure all present in the room heard.

"Princess Iracebeth of Crims!" they all chanted back, human and animal alike.

At that moment however, Iracebeth awoke. Scanning the room with her dark eyes, she began to wail loudly. The Queen began to soothe her child but before she dismissed her courtiers, she said one last thing: "No one is to say anything insulting the size of her head, as long as she is alive. Understood?"

"Of course, your majesty," they all said as they departed the room.

And Iracebeth of Crims, later the bloodthirsty Red Queen, was born.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2: Young Iracebeth

**Did anyone ever notice that the Red Queen ever pronounces her "r's" like "w's?" Like at the beginning of the film: "Dwink!" or at the end: "He twied to kill me!" Just some food for thought. Maybe it has to do with her head. Enjoy the second chapter!**

**Chapter 2: The Young Iracebeth**

"Wake up, your Highness, it is time to start a new, lovely, day in Crims," a maid said to a sleeping six-year-old Iracebeth.

"But I don't want to get up! I want to sleep more!" a muffled voice yelled.

"Now, now, your Highness, your mother and father wouldn't like you to never wake up, now would they?"

"I don't care, I want to sleep more!"

The maid, already used to this, sighed and went to retrieve the King and Queen.

"Now, my dear," the Queen asked, "Why don't you get up?"

"'Cause I don't want to."

The King sat and thought of ways to get Iracebeth up while the Queen tried to coax her out of bed. "Iracey," he finally said, "If you get up now, you can watch me train the knights. No, you can help me train the knights for battle! Would you like that?"

Iracebeth thought for a moment. She did like to see the knights train and practice on dummies. It was exciting to see the swords cut off their heads and dismember their arms. But to help them train! Oh, how lovely!

"Yes, Daddy, I would like very much to help you twain them." Iracebeth cried, sitting up in bed.

"Excellent, Iracey! Meet us in the courtyard after breakfast," the King said, and kissed her wild mane of red hair. The Queen smiled, but said nothing, and left the room. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, however, which were oddly sad and troubled.

Iracebeth's favorite color was red, and you could tell that by her wardrobe. Everything, from hats to shoes, looked like it had been splashed with blood. Iracebeth picked out her favorite dress, a red one with black hearts scattered around it, and scampered down to the dining hall for breakfast.

"Morning, young Princess," several courtiers greeted her on the way to the dining hall. Iracebeth ignored them. Plopping down at a hand-carved chair made just for her, Iracebeth waited impatiently for her meal. "Where is my bweakfast?!" she screamed.

"Right here, your Highness, made with all of your favorite foods," a servant said, setting out a huge meal just for her. Iracebeth reached for her favorite food first, cherry and apple tarts.

After a hearty breakfast, Iracebeth went to the courtyard to help her father train the knights. The King's idea of her helping out was retrieving light equipment and water for the knights. Iracebeth's idea, however, was shouting at them what to do as part of their training.

"Hack his awms off! Come on, now; use the sword to do it! Stab his heart out now! Now, take off his head! OFF WIF HIS HEAD!!!"

"IRACEBETH OF CRIMS!"

Iracebeth turned to see her father staring at her, shocked and angry. "Perhaps you should take a walk with your mother," he said angrily. "I shan't have you distracting my knights."

Iracebeth stomped off; head high in the air and angry. Running to the hedge maze in the back of the castle, she sad and pouted to herself. She would rather cut off a finger than take a walk with her mother. When they when on walks together, all the Queen wanted to do was distribute baskets of food and clothes to the needy and poor. Iracebeth hated that. _Why couldn't they just fend for themselves instead of having to rely on her_? she often wondered.

And worst of all, Iracebeth hated having to speak with the animals of the kingdom. She thought they were so stupid and inferior to humans. She had to admit they did speak English, but they had… fur, and those awful animal instincts. Iracebeth made up her mind that when she was Queen of Crims, she would make all animals work for her.

Iracebeth spotted a ladybug crawling on her arm. She grabbed it and smashed the poor insect between her thumb and pointer finger.

"Off wif your head," she giggled to herself.

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3: The Second Princess

**The third chapter, please enjoy! Reviews always help too! ;)**

**Chapter 3: The Second Princess**

Sometime before Mirana had been born, the King and Queen had called up Iracebeth into the throne room for a talk.

"Iracey," said the King gently, "Mummy and I have some important news to tell you."

Iracebeth didn't like surprises; they always seemed to be bad ones. She frowned at her parents impatiently.

"How would you feel about having a new brother or sister?" asked the Queen nervously.

"No, I don't want one. I want to be the only Pwincess," said Iracebeth without any hesitation. The King and Queen exchanged a nervous glance.

"But think about it, Iracebeth. You'll have someone to play with and talk to; a very close friend," the Queen tried.

"No! I don't want to!" yelled Iracebeth. Now she finally realized why Mummy had been acting so strange all the time, stranger than normal. _So that's why her stomach was suddenly large_, she thought.

"I don't think there is anything we can do about it, Iracey," the King weakly replied. He was nervous about Iracebeth's temper. Once she was mad, she would run up to her bedchamber and lock herself in for hours. _She's unstoppable when she's mad_, he thought to himself.

Iracebeth's face turned red, and she ran up to her room. The King and Queen looked at each other sadly.

"We mustn't let this one become like her," the Queen said, patting her stomach gently.

"Of course not. It would be too much to handle for this kingdom. I just wish we could figure out where we went wrong," the King replied, staring into space mournfully.

"Maybe it's not us, Caleb. Maybe it's just her…"

Some time later, the whole castle of Crims was up again before dawn, again to celebrate the arrival of the new Princess. Everyone gathered around the Queen's bedside, gazing in delight upon the new baby. She was sleeping soundly, a shock of white-blond hair atop her head.

"Her name," the Queen said proudly, "is Mirana. Mirana of Crims."

"Princess Mirana of Crims!" shouted back the couriers. Whispers traveled around the room again, just as they had six-and-a-half years earlier, but this time, there was a lighter, happier tone to them.

"She's lovely, isn't she?" "Simply beautiful. She'll be a wonderful ruler." "I can't wait to watch her grow." "She has hair just like her mother's."

The Queen sighed happily. She turned to her husband, who had just come back from fetching Iracebeth from her bedchamber. The King smiled and kissed Mirana's head, but Iracebeth did not smile. She looked down at her sister with disgust.

"What do you think of your sister, Iracebeth?" asked a courier standing nearby. "Isn't she darling?"

"No," replied Iracebeth. "Her head is much too small. I think she's wather ugly."

Those present in the room whispered among themselves, shocked. The King turned red, while the Queen gasped.

"Iracebeth, that talk is unacceptable. This is your sister!" The King nearly yelled.

"Treat her with kindness and love. Act unto others as you'd want them to act unto you," the Queen added.

Glaring around the room, Iracebeth turned on her heel and stomped out of the room, returning to her bedchamber. In fury, she ripped apart the heart decorations she had made and hung around her room. She threw the red roses a knight had thoughtfully picked for her out the window of her balcony. Iracebeth punched a mirror that hung on her wall so hard, it fell to the ground in hundreds of sharp pieces. Sucking on the cuts she had received from the mirror, she sat on her bed and cried.

"I HATE HER! IT'S NOT FAIR! I WANT TO BE THE **ONLY** PWINCESS!" Iracebeth screamed. "NOT FAIR AT ALL!"

"Who said anything in life was ever fair?" a voice asked from the balcony door. Iracebeth looked up. A blue smiling cat sat suspended in midair, holding the flowerpot she had just thrown.

"Chessur." Iracebeth glared coldly at the cat. She hated that cat, though her parents loved him. According to Mummy, the cat was as old as Underland itself. "Leave, you stupid cat."

"I thought you might need this," Chessur grinned, dropping the pot lightly on a table. "I was on my way to visit the new Princess when this came flying at me."

"Don't bawther. She's ugly, about as ugly as you."

Chessur wasn't affected. Iracebeth wanted to wipe that stupid grin off his stupid face. "Her head is tiny anyway. She's nuffing like me."

"Excellent," the cat replied, turning upside down in the air.

"Leave, cat!" Iracebeth shouted.

"Oh, I was going anyway," Chessur said. Before he vanished, he turned to Iracebeth and said one last thing to her. "Maybe I am looking far too happily into the future, but I do think that your sister will cause your downfall, your 'Highness', with a little help from some friends."

Winking and smirking one last time, he vanished, leaving an angry, crying, troubled Iracebeth on her bed.

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4: A Walk in Underland

**Many thanks to the amount of reviews, favorites, and subscriptions that keep coming in! I love it! And without further ado, the long fourth chapter!**

**Chapter 4: A Walk in Underland**

Mirana awoke early in the castle of Crims one morning, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen. Tip-toeing past her sister's room, the alert nine-year old quietly snuck to the kitchens. Opening the door, Mirana saw the head cook Annabel stirring something with a large metal spoon. She watched as the cook added all sorts of ingredients to the bowl, such as butterfly tears, three cups of sunshine, and hair from a horsefly.

"Oh! Your Highness! You're up early!" another cook named Grace said, noticing her watching in the doorway.

"I just wished to see you cook," Mirana said simply. "I find it amazing how so many interesting things can come together to make something even more interesting. It's fascinating. And the food you make tastes wonderful, especially your butter-finger pie."

The cooks smiled at each other in delight. Mirana was a joy to be around, they thought, unlike her fifteen-year-old sister Iracebeth, who constantly discouraged their cooking skills.

"Perhaps when you turn ten next year, you may consider studying the Culinary Forms of Underland," Annabel said. "You would learn how to make all types of wonderful food and drink."

"I shall indeed think about it, Annabel. Thank you." And with a smile, Mirana left the kitchen to tend to her garden outside.

Ever since she had learned how to walk and talk, Mirana said that she had wanted her own garden, with many different types of flowers and trees that she would tend to herself. Mirana privately believed that in addition to sun and water, another type of nourishment was actually talking to the plants.

Mirana stopped by a small apple tree. "Hello, my dear," she said to the tree. "You've grown a lot since last week. I do believe that when you are in bloom, you shall produce quite tasty apples. Keep growing, my dear, and encourage those around you to grow also." And so on. Mirana left the garden when she believed every tree and flower had received enough nourishment.

Mirana could hardly wait to turn ten years of age. When one turned ten in Underland, it meant picking the type of study course that would help you with your future job or occupation. For example, a hat maker would take Knowledge of Clothes, Design, and Materials of Underland. In Iracebeth's and Mirana's cases however, that would mean taking courses all the Princesses would take: Diplomacy and Trade of Underland, Etiquette and Proper Behavior, Psychology and Sociology, and anything else a Queen would do, Mirana supposed. However, you could also take other courses. Iracebeth had picked Dominion of Living Creatures and all the courses on Warfare. Mirana wanted to pick Botany and Culinary of Underland, as well as Community of Underland and Medicine.

"Mirana! Iracebeth! Time to go on a weekly walk of Underland!" the Queen called, interrupting Mirana's thoughts. A weekly walk meant visiting all of Underland, helping the poor and sick, and talking to the Underlanders.

"Mother, I don't wish to go," a sullen Iracebeth called back from her room. "I think it is waste to time."

"I will come, Mother, just let me retrieve something first," Mirana called. Walking to her closet, she pulled out a wagon of baskets full of medicine, water, and food she had made for the Underlanders. It had taken her and her maids a while to put them together. She pulled the wagon outside to where the Queen and her scowling sister were waiting inside the royal carriage. Mirana made sure the wagon of baskets was loaded safely on before sitting with her mother and Iracebeth.

"I don't like mingelwing with the commoners, especialwy those disgusting animals," Iracebeth complained. Her large head had all the appearance of distaste on it. The Queen sighed and said nothing. She had give up on trying to help her see past her ways years ago.

Mirana glanced sadly at her sister. _If only I could make her see past her ways_, she thought as the carriage bounced along the road.

"We're here!" the Queen said happily as they stopped at a village. The stopping of the carriage woke a dozing Mirana, who had been wondering to herself why her mother called it a "walk" when they had been riding in a carriage. Gazing around, the Princess saw humans and all types of animals, big and small, standing out in front of their houses to welcome the royalty.

"Your Majesty," they all murmured in unison as the Queen and her daughters stepped out of the carriage. Mirana went to the back of the carriage and grabbed her wagon. Her mother would talk with the heads of each household about news and events, while she and Iracebeth would deliver food, water, and medicine to each house. Everything would work out fine.

"This is horwible," Iracebeth groaned as they approached the first house, which had the appearance of the head of a rabbit. Mirana ignored her and read the name of the family, neatly painted on the picket fence: _McTwisp_.

"Come on now, Iracey," Mirana started to say, but before she could get any further, a white rabbit bounded out of the house and stopped at the girls' feet.

"Your Highnesses," the rabbit whispered tearfully, "You must simply help me! My Nivens has been sick for two days, and whatever we do, he seems to get worse! Can you help?"

"No," Iracebeth said, but Mirana firmly said, "Yes, of course we'll help. I'll bring my medicines with me. May I come in, Mrs. McTwisp?"

"Certainly," Mrs. McTwisp answered, and showed them into the house. It was very well kept and neat. Mirana already knew the McTwisps, but only by name; the mister was a messenger for the King. In the middle of a sitting room, several young rabbits all huddled in a circle, but seeing their mother and the Princesses, they all scampered to a corner of the room. In the middle of a former circle lay a rabbit under a blanket. His eyes were glassy and feverish, while his coat of fur was oily. Iracebeth sighed with impatience and confusion, but Mirana wasn't fazed. She had seen this sickness before, though she couldn't recall where. But she knew what would help. Reaching into her medicine basket, Mirana pulled out a light blue liquid.

"This should do the trick, Mrs. McTwisp. Give a teaspoonful to him at each meal; three times a day for a week. Be sure to also give him soup and water, along with lots of rest. I'll give him a dose now; it is just about noon." And Mirana gently urged a teaspoon down Niven's throat. The effect was almost immediate; he sat up and cried: "I'm hungry, Mama, when is dinner?"

Mrs. McTwisp gave a cry of delight. She turned to Mirana and bowed low. Then, grasping her hand in her paws, she whispered, "Bless you, your Highness. I see a bright future for you. Bless you, bless you."

Mirana smiled, but said nothing. After handing them their specified basket, and receiving kisses from all the young rabbits, she turned to leave with a bored Iracebeth, who had stood stiffly in a corner the whole time, grumbling something about animals having "better use as furniture."

Their next stop was at the Hightopp's house. The house was in the shape of a large colorful top hat, with a hat-ish fence lining the yard. Mirana knew of the Hightopps well: the father was a beloved hat-maker for the kingdom. The royal family wore his designs often, marveling at such skill to make such hats.. Mirana brought not only food and medicine in her basket; she brought new material that the King had received from a neighboring land. Iracebeth reluctantly pulled a bell next to the door, but she was relieved that this time there were no animals in the house.

Mrs. Hightopp answered the door. Seeing the young Princesses, she cried, "Your Majesties! Oh my darlings, how wonderful to see you both again! You must have some tea!" Mrs. Hightopp was a tea-maker for the royal family, thereby making the Hightopp clan well respected in the community. Not everybody had both heads working for the royal family.

Mirana politely accepted some tea, but Iracebeth shook her head no. Mirana suddenly remembered why she had come to the house, and gave Mrs. Hightopp the basket. She let out a shriek when she saw the new and unusual material. "Oh my goodness! It's amazing! Unique! Beautiful! Marvelous! Oh, children, you must have a look at this! Come on now, come look!"

Almost immediately, four or five children bounded into the sitting room. They all shared either brown or red curly hair, received from their mother or father respectively. They also began to look over the incredible material. One of them, who looked about Mirana's age, was so excited he stood and began to dance furiously around the room. "That's his dance," explained Mrs. Hightopp. "He calls it the 'futterwacken.'"

The boy stopped and stared at Mirana. His eyes flashed a brilliant blue as she smiled at him. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Tarrant Hightopp."

"That dance was incredible. You must perform it at the castle someday. Oh, do you wish to be a hat-maker like your father."

"Yes, I should like nothing more," Tarrant answered. "I could make you all sorts of hats, depending on your favorite color, shape, design, size, day, week, month, year, holiday, meal-"

"Tarrant!" his mother said sharply. He blushed and looked down. "Sorry. I'm fine," he mumbled.

Mirana simply grinned. "I would love for you to be my hat-maker, Tarrant."

Tarrant grinned. Dashing over to a vase filled with flowers, he pulled out a single white rose and handed it to her. "Your Highness," he whispered before bowing deeply. Mirana marveled how his hat could stay on his head.

"They are compwetely mad," Iracebeth commented as they left the house.

"Perhaps, but maybe it is what makes them incredibly…" Mirana drifted off. Likable? Interesting? Charming? Mirana couldn't find the answer as they traveled to different houses for the rest of the day.

Mirana went to bed that night feeling happy that she had made new and unusual friends. She especially liked Tarrant Hightopp. Glancing one last time at the white rose he had given her, she smiled and fell asleep, dreaming of the day when she could be Queen, and he would be her hat-maker: her very own hatter.

**To be continued…**

**Whew! That took a while to write. So how did I do with the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter? Please review and tell me what you think. And where is the Knave? Shall he make an appearance? Guess you'll just have to wait, my lovelies. However, school starts again soon, so chapters may take longer to get on here… But they'll come, I promise!**

***Becca*******


	5. Chapter 5: Tragedy in Marmoreal

**I was pleasantly thrilled with the amount of reviews from the last chapter. By the way, is anyone else curious as to why the White Queen has vows that keep her from harming anything? Hmm…. It is short, but chapter 5 is here!**

**Chapter 5: Tragedy in Marmoreal**

It was Mirana's fourteenth birthday, and the King and Queen had promised to take her anywhere she wished. It didn't take long for Mirana to decide: Marmoreal, a place not too far from Crims; a place full of wildlife, waterfalls and laughter; the place where the royal family often stayed in a lovely white castle. She planned to stay in Marmoreal for two weeks, but she wished to stay there forever. It was such a lovely place. Mirana invited everyone she knew, including all those she had given baskets to on her walks. Mirana figured that everyone else should be as happy as she was on her birthday. _The only person that wouldn't be happy was her sister_, she thought sadly to herself.

Iracebeth was now a sullen and depressed twenty-year-old. When a princess turned sixteen in Underland, it was the appropriate age for suitors and princes to come and ask for her hand in marriage. But Iracebeth had received only one proposal, and it was from one of the ugliest men she had ever seen. Besides, she had her eye on someone: a young new servant, who had arrived at the castle a few months ago. He had showed up to the castle orphaned, starving, and wearing rags. The Queen took pity on him and allowed him to become a servant at the castle.

Iracebeth found him very handsome. He was very tall, one of the tallest men she had ever seen. He had black thick hair that framed his face nearly perfectly. But Iracebeth didn't know his name-she had been too nervous to ask him. _Perhaps that would change in Marmoreal, _she thought as they arrived at the white castle. _Today, I shall ask his name!_

Meanwhile, Mirana was busy preparing for the ball that would take place in her honor later that night. She looked in the mirror one last time before heading down to the grand ballroom. Mirana wore a snow-colored sparkling dress with flowing long sleeves and tresses. Around her waist was a belt of white roses. Her hat, which had been made by Tarrant, was white also, covered in sparkles with a rose on the side. A ribbon that read her name hung off the side. Mirana was amazed that this was Tarrant's first hat he had made by himself.

The ballroom had been split into two halves. One was for people that wanted to sit, chat, or eat; the other was for dancers. After a several course meal, Mirana danced with many people and animals she knew, including her father, Tarrant (who was blushing furiously the whole time), Nivens, Chessur, a strange hare named Thackery Earwicket, and other young men and animals. The dancing, music and singing put everyone into a cheerful, happy mood. Even Iracebeth was happy-she had asked the servant to dance with her, and he had said yes!

"I belwieve I have seen you before," began Iracebeth. "What is your name?"

"Ilosovic Stayne, your Highness," he responded quietly. He seemed to be thinking about other things.

"It is wonderful to finalwy know your name, Stayne." And so they talked about themselves for a while, getting to know each other. Iracebeth was immediately smitten with his personality. He wanted to be a soldier, not a servant. Stayne hated living in the shadow of someone else; he wanted to be better than where he was now. Iracebeth felt the same way; she felt like her parents loved her sister better than her. Why couldn't she be as good as her sister?

_But_, she thought delightfully to herself, _that would change_.

A few nights ago, Iracebeth had stolen Mirana's Botany book that listed all the types of plants in Underland. She had looked for the chapter labeled "Poisoned Plants." After scanning a list, she decided to take a "walk." On her little walk, Iracebeth gathered several different poisoned plants and flowers: Steel Smile, Death's Envy, Poisongrass, the roots of the Youngsoul-highly poisonous-and lastly, the bark of the Howling Tree. She then proceeded to mix the roots of all the plants together with water. But to disguise the odd mixture, she added some vanilla drops to it, so then it would look like any ordinary drink.

And now, the time was coming up to do a toast for Mirana on her birthday.

"Excuse me," Iracebeth called after a while. "I would wike to do a toast for my fourteen-year-old sista. Mirwana, may you live a long wife." _Idiot_.

"To Mirana," everyone chanted while raising his or her goblet. Iracebeth held back a delightful scream as she watched her sister drank the poison. Five…four…three…two…one… now!

But, it was not Mirana that began to choke and foam at the mouth, then collapse on the floor. It was King Caleb of Crims.

They had accidentally switched goblets.

Underland mourned for a week. Almost everyone in Underland came to the burial and the release ceremony. At a funeral in Underland, you would bury the body in a coffin underground, and then you would put a candle, in front of their gravestone. A spirit of the deceased would shoot many feet up into the air, a sign that they had moved on.

Mirana cried the whole time. She knew someone had poisoned her father's goblet. She had taken a few drops back to Crims in a vial to be inspected. She recognized the plants at once, but to confirm them, she went to check her Botany book.

Mirana finally found it in her sister's room.

She couldn't believe it at first. Not Iracey. Not her sister. But it had to be…

"_A special cup for you, Mirwana. It's your favorwite dwink."_

"_Thank you, Iracey."_

_And then… her cup had tasted funny… was it wine, not the vanilla milk?_

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY WOOM?"

Mirana saw Iracebeth standing in the doorway. "I was going to ask you if you'd seen my Botany book-"

"You are never allwoed in herwe again, you idiotic brat!" the woman screamed at the young teenager, and suddenly, a hand struck out.

Mirana collapsed on the floor, reeling from the slap.

"Leave. Now." There was nothing but icy coldness in Iracebeth's voice.

Mirana fled, holding her reddening cheek. Once she got to her room, she fell on her bed, sobbing. And she made a small vow that day: she would never harm anything or anyone, regardless of what they did or how she felt. No one deserved to feel such pain as she felt right now.

Her father, her brilliant, smiling, laughing father was dead, and her sister, her evil, awful, uncaring sister had killed him.

It couldn't be true…

**I hate to end it on a sad note, but hopefully things will look ahead for poor Mirana. I figured Stayne would be attractive to the Red Queen through looks and personality. This may be my last upload for a while; I have a big project to work on in school and a Winterguard competition.**

**Until then, fairfarren…**

***Becca*******


	6. Chapter 6: Jabberwocky

**I'm back, my readers! It was a very busy week for me, and I didn't have much time to write more. I realized that I had forgotten to add something rather important to the chapters… Has anyone ever wondered about the Jabberwocky? **

**Chapter 6: Jabberwocky**

Iracebeth stalked out of the castle, furious about Mirana going into her room. The ugly idiot had probably figured it out by now. What would she do? Iracebeth decided to take a walk to the archery practice to take out her anger… and make a few stops along the way.

She went behind the castle to the forest of Salenzen Grum and saw an all-too-familiar rock with three scratches across it. Moving the rock, Iracebeth found a large sack with a few pounds of meat in it. Throwing it over her shoulder, she continued through the forest for a couple miles. Finally she reached a large clearing surrounded by trees and let out a shrill whistle.

Almost immediately, the sky was blocked by a huge shadow. A large creature landed in front of the Princess of Crims and let out a roar. Iracebeth smiled with delight. "'Ello, Jabberwocky," she breathed.

"Your Highness." The dragon-like creature nodded. "What meat this time?"

Iracebeth emptied the sack onto the ground. "Swine and goat, wif one cow."

"Marvelous," the Jabberwocky said before digging in to a meal. Iracebeth watched as it ate, remembering to when she had first discovered it…

_It was a dreary day in Crims, and thirteen-year-old Iracebeth was bored out of her mind. "I want to go for a walk!" she yelled at no one in particular. She wanted to look for more insects to take back to the castle. She liked to experiment with them. Often she'd dissect them while they were still alive, or remove their body pieces one by one. It was quite interesting to see their reactions and hear them scream in pain._

"_You can go for a walk if you wish to, darling," the Queen said. So off she went, into the forest, picking up random insects and dropping them into the jar. Iracebeth ignored their cries for help. Suddenly, she tripped over a large rock and fell hard on the ground. The jar of insects broke, and the bugs scattered._

_Cursing at herself, Iracebeth stood up and looked back at what she had tripped over. It was a large, black, shiny, oval-shaped rock. Iracebeth had never seen one of those before. Or had she? She remembered back to her __Creatures of Underland__ book. In the chapter of Rare Creatures, she remembered seeing an egg like this. But what was it called?_

_There was a cracking noise coming from the egg. Iracebeth watched as a piece of the egg fell away. Then the egg broke away altogether. A small dragon-like creature let out a small roar._

_And then Iracebeth realized. "A Jabberwocky!"_

_The creature looked at her as a baby would look at its mother. "Mummy?" it asked._

_Iracebeth could not help feeling pity for the small thing. _Maybe,_ she thought to herself_, if she raised it, she could use it as a weapon against enemies_!_

"_Don't worry, dear, Mummy's herwe, she'll get you some food."_

_For the next seven years, the Jabberwocky and Iracebeth developed a deep connection. He would give her rides sometimes on his back, and she would provide food for him. The Jabberwocky made a vow to help her out if she ever needed him. And Iracebeth had promised to never tell anyone of his existence until she needed him._

"You look upset, Iracebeth," the Jabberwocky commented as he finished his meal.

"It's my awful sista, Jabberwocky. She's the favowite, and I don't know what to do about it."

"When the time comes, I will help you become Queen. I do owe you for your kindness to me when I was young," the Jabberwocky said thoughtfully.

"Thank you."

The Jabberwocky flew Iracebeth to the archery practice, and watched as she took out her anger on the cloth dummies; he was amused of who she pretended they were: Mirana, the Queen, the Hightopps, and other people he only knew of by name.

"One day, you shall help me rule Underwand forever," she whispered to him before she departed back to her castle.

**Yes, it's a little short, but more interesting things will come later. I just felt the need to explain the relationship between the Red Queen and the Jabberwocky. **

***Becca*******


	7. Chapter 7: Trouble and a Tea Party

**It's been a while, has it not? Firstly, I'd like to thank the people that have reviewed my story so far: ****bookfanatic01, DarkAngel3993, PeersHitInMoscow, Mercedes Aria, Lady Greystoke, Celeste38, RoxyMoron, and Salsaxxx. You guys kept me going while I was writing. And to all my other readers: if you like something, please review! **

**Chapter 7: Trouble and a Tea Party**

Mirana was troubled again. Of course, all of the trouble came from her sister. Ever since the King had died, Mirana had never had the same feelings she had had about Iracebeth. She had always thought Iracebeth had never really meant to be horrid or mean towards everyone; but perhaps now she really did mean it. Mirana frowned to herself as she sat on her bed. Perhaps it had to do with the size of her head?...

"Your Highness," a voice purred from the doorway.

"Chessur." Mirana let out a grin as the Cheshire cat floated in midair next to her. "Where have you been? It's been a while," she said as she scratched him behind his ears.

"I'm here because of a certain Hightopp," Chessur replied. "He sent me to ask you if you'd like to come to a tea party on the grounds of the castle. He says it may cheer you up."

"Tarrant?" Mirana smiled. "Of course I'll come! Let him know I'll be on my way immediately."

The cat grinned toothily and disappeared. Mirana went to her wardrobe and began to look for clothes to wear. As she searched through her clothing, she couldn't help but wonder something. Since she had turned sixteen not too long ago, many people had begun to look at her differently. One of them in particular was the knight-in-training, Illosovic Stayne. He had been in training to be a knight a short while after her father died. Iracebeth had urged the Queen to place him as a knight rather than a servant. Mirana chuckled, remembering how her sister had always stared at Stayne as though he were the most delicious tart on the table.

After putting on a light colored dress, Mirana walked down from her room to the castle grounds. She gasped when she saw the table set up for the tea party.

Several tables had been pushed together, and many different sets of teapots and teacups had been set out on the table. And seated at the chairs around the tables were all of her closest friends: Tarrant, Thackery, Nivens, Chessur, a Dodo bird, a Dormouse named Mallymkun, a hookah-smoking caterpillar named Absalom, a young bloodhound named Bayard, and two small plump twin boys named Tweedledee and Tweedledum. All of them had met Mirana when she had visited their villages each month to give each of their families baskets. She had become good friends with all of them, and confided her trust in them.

"You're a little late," Nivens said impatiently, checking his pocket watch.

"We'd thought you'd never show up!" added Thackery, who was absentmindedly buttering a napkin.

"She's not late, she's just on time!" Tarrant exclaimed. "Never mind them, they're just hungry. I told them we wouldn't start until you got here, and now you're here!"

Mirana smiled and took a seat between Tarrant and Mallymkun. Mallymkun was a feisty little Dormouse who had a rather stubborn temper. If she was ever mad, she'd take out her needle-like sword and slash the nearest mushroom apart with it. More than anything, she wanted to be a knight, but she knew it was impossible due to her size. Presently, she was sipping tea out of a tiny teacup.

Everyone began to talk of nothing in particular. Conversations differed from one thing to the next. Mirana sat back and quietly watched it all. The Tweedles were busily telling Nivens, the Dodo, and Bayard a story about a walrus, a carpenter, and some curious oysters. Chessur, Thackery, Tarrant, and Mallymkun were discussing Iracebeth's method of training the knights. Occasionally, Mally would throw a sugar cube if one of her friends weren't paying attention.

Absalom, however, was quietly smoking and looking off into the distance. Sometimes, he would think to himself about the most powerful scroll in all of Underland: his Oraculum. No one knew why the caterpillar truly smoked, but Absalom smoked because he could see visions of the future when he was smoking. Years ago, he had been smoking when he had seen glimpses of the future of Underland. Not wanting to let his visions go to waste, he had gotten a hold of the longest scroll he could find and written down all of his visions. Now, the only eyes to have seen it were his and the Queen's.

Suddenly, he received a sudden vision, but it was one that he had already drawn. Absalom knew that he had to remind the Queen-it concerned her. Bidding a smoky fairfarren, he departed to the castle.

"Why's he always have to smoke?" coughed Mallymkun. "Don't he know how it bothers us?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," the Dodo said thoughtfully.

"If there wasn't a secret reason for it, he would tell us," Tweedledee said.

"Yes, but if there was a secret reason for it, he'd keep it too himself, because then it wouldn't be a secret," Tweedledum answered.

"True, true," everyone else replied.

Mirana now turned her attention to Tarrant, who'd been unusually quiet this time. She noticed that his curly ginger hair was, oddly, turning an even brighter shade of red, and that his skin was turning pale. _Perhaps it was the effects of being a Hatter's son,_ she thought to herself. To undo his quietness, she decided to ask him a riddle. He loved riddles.

"Tarrant," she said, "What is the beginning of earth and the end of time?"

Tarrant thought for a moment; his eyes changed from green to blue and back. "The letter 'e'?" he said after a moment.

Mirana smiled. "Of course," she grinned.

Tarrant leaned forward and frowned. "Why is a raven like a writing desk? My father asked me the question last night and I have not yet figured it out. All I can think of are differences between the two. A raven has claws; a desk doesn't. A raven can fly; a desk doesn't. A raven has a beak and wings and feathers, and a desk doesn't, and-"

"Tarrant." Mirana noticed his eyes were changing to an odd yellow color, which only happened if he was angry.

Tarrant flushed. "I'm fine, Mirana. Just a little frusterated."

Mirana patted his arm reassuringly. "It'll come to you."

"Clean cup! Clean cup!" Thackery suddenly shouted. "We must move down and find a new cup!"

Everyone grumbled, but moved down a chair or two and found a new cup.

After talking of nonsensical subjects for a while, the sky began to grow dark, and everyone decided to go home. Everyone lived in the same general area of Underland, so they all went home together. Mirana made sure she said goodbye to each and every one. She sighed happily as she saw them walk off. _Never have I met anyone with better friends_, she thought as she made her way to the castle…

"Mirana."

Mirana turned around and saw Stayne walking towards her, drenched in sweat from training.

"Stayne?"

"I…just want you to know that… I think you are rather…lovely… much lovelier than your sister," Stayne whispered as he grabbed her hands.

"Wh-what?" Mirana stuttered, confused. Why was Stayne doing this?

"I… think… I am madly… in love with you," Stayne blurted out. And suddenly he pressed her up against the castle wall. "Kiss me," he whispered.

"N-n-no. I am afraid I can't. I don't think I love you the same way you do me," Mirana mumbled, scared. She ducked out of his grasp and ran towards the castle, leaving a sad and angry Stayne staring at a castle wall.

Mirana lay in bed that night troubled yet again. She didn't love Stayne at all, and it wasn't right at all for him to do that. What should she do? What could she do? Iracebeth would be angry if she found out, and she couldn't tell the Queen. The Queen had been acting rather sad lately, sadder than usual. Nothing could cheer her up at all. Mirana didn't want to trouble her anymore than she already was.

Sighing about all the confusion, Mirana rolled over and fell fast asleep.

_A young blond girl wearing a blue dress stumbled through the woods. Mirana stared at her curiously. This girl was rather important; she was certain of it. But why?_

_The girl noticed her and came up to her. "Have you seen the rabbit? He's late for something?" she asked._

_Mirana thought of Nivens; he was always concerned about the time. She tried to speak, but found she couldn't._

_Suddenly, a shadow fell overhead. The girl stared curiously at it. Then all at once, screaming began. From everywhere in the forest, screams of terror and pain rang out._

_The girl stared at Mirana. "You need help," she commented._

And Mirana jolted awake.

**Was it a vision of the young Alice? Hmm… by the way, I am thinking about extending the chapters right up until the end of the movie, and ending right after Alice drinks the Jabberwocky blood. What do you think I should do? Review please if you like!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Queen

**I love people that review my story! *****Gives them an imaginary cookie, a hat, and a cup of tea***** And I am sorry my chapters are so short; I'm working on a schedule here. **

**Chapter 8: The Queen**

The Queen stared off into the distance, thinking about what the caterpillar had just told her. She didn't need the reminder; she'd already seen it coming. After the King had died, Absalom had shown her the Oraculum for the first time. She was at first furious that he hadn't shown her before it happen-she could have stopped the death from coming. But Absalom reminded her that you can't change the future if you see what the outcome is.

And now, the Queen pondered over the most recent event that would happen: her death. It wasn't like she was scared of it now anyway. Her husband was dead and her eldest daughter was a tyrant, broken beyond repair. The Queen's only hope lay now with her youngest daughter.

The Queen knew what would happen in the future, she had been a wreck for days about it. But she knew there was nothing she could do. The only thing that she now wanted was her husband…

"Mother? Mother? MOTHER! Wake up! Please, wake UP!"

Mirana stared, horrified, at her mother's unmoving form in her bed. "Please… don't do this to me, Mother…"

The funeral was held two days later. Everyone in Underland came. The doctors had confirmed she had died in her sleep, from "natural causes," but Mirana knew that the Queen had died of a broken heart.

Mirana cried as the casket was lowered into the ground, but Iracebeth stood by stiffly, without any expression on her face. Inwardly, Iracebeth was dancing. Now she could finally be Queen! Oh, how she would change Underland…

Mirana suddenly felt someone squeezing her hand gently. Turning around, she saw Tarrant staring back at her with a sad smile on his face. "It'll be alright, Mirana," he whispered.

"I hope so, Tarrant," she replied through tears. "I just wonder what her advisers are doing to decide who should be Queen next."

The Queen had had a set of advisers that would help her out when she had hard decisions. Right now, the advisers were debating about whether to give the crown to Mirana or Iracebeth. Everyone wanted to give the crown to Mirana so far. But in the Underland tradition, the older sibling usually got the crown. So the advisers did something that had never been done before, and probably would never be done again: they held a voting ballot in Underland.

Everyone in Underland voted. And the unanimous result was: Mirana.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

Iracebeth screamed again in frustration. With her sword, she decapitated another dummy.

"It's not FAIR!" she screamed. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Now, now, I wouldn't get that mad if my sister took over my kingdom…"

Iracebeth turned and saw the Jabberwocky watching her, greatly amused. "You humans have very odd ways of showing emotions," he continued.

"Oh, shut up. I don't need this wight now," Iracebeth glared at him.

"Well, I just get bored staying in one place all the time. I like to stretch my wings," the Jabberwocky replied.

Iracebeth ignored this and continued to decapitate more dummies.

Meanwhile, in the castle of Crims, Mirana was taking a break in her bedroom for the first time. The past week had been quite busy: She had been talking to all sorts of people from all over Underland, and she was asked if she had wanted to redecorate the castle (she said no), and… and… oh, it was all too much for a girl of only sixteen. Mirana lay down on her bed and sighed.

"Your Majesty." Chessur appeared at her side.

"Hello, Chess. Please, don't call me 'your Majesty.' I've had enough of that today. It's all too much to handle."

"I just wanted to drop in and say hello. I am terribly sorry this is all being forced on you like this."

"Not your fault, Chess. I just wish Mother was still here." Mirana felt the tears rush to her eyes again.

"Come now, Mirana, it'll soon pass," Chessur soothed. "I'm sure you'll be a great Queen, just as your mother was."

Mirana sniffled. "I hope so, Chessur. I hope so…"

That night was a fitful slumber for both Mirana and Iracebeth.

Mirana was now sleeping in the Queen's old chambers, and it was very uncomfortable to sleep in the bed her mother had died in. She had a lot on her mind, and she didn't think she could handle it all. _No one should have to ever bear this_, she thought. She rolled over and cried softly, crying for herself and her mother and her father.

Iracebeth, however, was not crying. She was tossing and turning angrily. She wanted that crown more than anything, and when the perfect opportunity had come, Mirana and Underland had taken it away from her. Just like that!

"Ooh, I'll make you pay, wittle sista," she whispered, her eyes glowing with hatred and malice. "I'll make you ALL pay!"

She just didn't know how to do it… yet.

**Yes, this was short too. Don't worry though; longer (and sadder, sorry) chapters are on the way. Hang in there readers!**

***Becca* **


	9. Chapter 9: Eyes of Flame

**Well, my dear friends, the chapter that you may have been expecting (or dreading) is here… the day that death plagued Underland!**

**Chapter 9: Eyes of Flame**

Four years had passed since Mirana had been crowned Queen of Crims. And a lot had happened in four years.

One of the many things Mirana had done was change the attire of the knights into chess pawns. Within the ranks, she had decided on the strongest, most dependable knight and made him a Champion. The Champion was the one that, as legend would have it, would slay the Jabberwocky. Mirana found the legend to be a little odd; she had never seen a Jabberwocky in Underland yet. But, just to be sure, she had kept the Champion ready to go and fight at all times, armed with a weapon that all said could defeat the legendary dragon: the Vorpal Sword. The best blacksmiths in Underland had finely crafted the sword. It had taken them several weeks before it was finished.

So far, everything was running smoothly in Crims. Everyone thought Mirana was a fair and wonderful ruler, and hardly anyone caused any problems. Mirana was now known as the White Queen around Underland, due to her favorite color being white. Mirana often pondered why her favorite color was white: was it just because it was simply a nice, blank color, or was it her favorite because it wasn't dark like her sister's favorite color red?...

Iracebeth grinned wickedly to herself. The twenty-six-year-old bigheaded tyrant had thought about revenge for four long years, and it had finally dawned upon her on what she should do. At first, she was so angry-why hadn't she thought of it earlier? But then she realized that it was fine-four years was enough time to remove her from suspicion from trying to murder her sister.

"You look happy," Stayne commented suddenly. They had been sitting in a pavilion with several other soldiers and talking about tactics on the battlefield. Stayne had changed a lot in four years. His hair had gotten longer, and his face had physically changed. His left eye was gone, lost in a battle with a neighboring land. Now he covered it up with a black eye patch. But the scars still remained.

"Oh, yes, Stayne, I am vewy happy."

"About what?"

"What my sista will have to endure."

Stayne frowned. "What are you going to do, your highness?"

Iracebeth glanced at him. "Well, wemember when you told me that Mirwana wejected you years back?"

Stayne shifted uncomfortably before replying, "Of course."

"Don't you want to get her back for that?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes… I would very much like to do that, your Highness."

Iracebeth's eyes lit up. "Listen here, then. I have an idea…"

Mirana smiled as Tarrant led her horse through the woods to Witzend. She was blindfolded and had no idea what the "surprise" was that he had told her about. Behind her traveled her trusty escorts: her Champion and some pawns.

"Alright, you can take the blindfold off."

Carefully removing the blindfold, Mirana gasped at the sight.

It looked like a carnival of sorts had been set up in Witzend. People began singing, dancing and playing music the moment the Queen had entered the village. Every one of Mirana's closest friends was in attendance. The whole Hightopp clan was there-Tarrant had planned the whole event.

"Wh-wh- Tarrant, what is this for?" Mirana exclaimed with delight at seeing the village looking so happy.

"It's all for you, my dear. Can't a village celebrate the fact that their Queen is amazing? Well, she's not just amazing, I suppose. She's marvelous, magnificent-"

"Tarrant," Mirana said before he launched into a babbling mess. She blushed as she asked, "You did this, didn't you?"

"Yes, but not without some help, you see." Tarrant gestured to where all of her friends were sitting and laughing.

"It's wonderful. Thank you," Mirana said, and without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Realizing what she had done, she blushed again. Tarrant's reaction was slightly different. He stood still for a long moment, and suddenly, he began to do the most splendid futterwacken ever seen at the time. Mirana smiled as several people clapped when he finished.

"Oh, Mirana! I almost forgot! There are some of my relatives who'd like to play you a song." Mirana noticed he was flushing with pride.

"Let's hear it then," smiled Mirana.

About an hour later, the festival was still going on. Children spun around in a circle as the Hatter clapped to a song. Mirana sat on her horse and smiled at the joyfulness of it all.

A shadow suddenly fell over the village. Everyone looked up, forgetting what he or she was doing almost immediately.

Someone let out a chilling scream: "THE JABBERWOCKY!"

As if the sentence was its cue, the horrible dragon released a huge ball of fire from its mouth, hitting several villagers and lighting a house on fire.

Pandemonium broke. People ran left and right, trying to avoid the balls of fire. Mirana's horse reared up in alarm, and Mirana felt her crown slip off her head and onto the ground.

"Come on!" Tarrant cried, grabbing the reins of her horse. "Mirana! Head to the Outlands! They'll never find you there!"

"No! I have to help the others! Where's my crown?"

"You'll get it back, just go! Now!" Tarrant yelled, trying to control the frightened horse.

Mirana glanced worriedly at him-she couldn't just leave him here!

"I'll be fine! GOOO!" Tarrant yelled, giving her horse a push towards the Outlands. Mirana held on for dear life as the horse fled.

Tarrant panted as he watched her horse gallop off. Turning back, he ran back into the wild inferno, looking for his family.

"Hatter!" Mallymkun shouted at him from under a table. Several other familiar faces were under there, including Nivens, Thackery, the Tweedles, the Dodo, and Bayard. "Where'd the Queen go?"

"The Outlands! The Jabberwocky will never find her there! Follow her! GO!"

The friends took off across the field, followed by several others. Tarrant looked around wildly for his mother and father and siblings. Where were they?

Tarrant looked up just in time to see the Champion lunge towards the Jabberwocky with the Vorpal sword. It was no use; the Champion was fried and gone before he could blink.

Tarrant suddenly felt his world disappear into blackness…

Mirana finally arrived in the Outlands. The Outlands was not much, just mainly trees, fields, some rocks, and a small stream. Slipping off her horse, Mirana buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Was anyone still alive?

"Don't worry yourself, your Majesty, we're here…"

Mirana looked down and saw Mallymkun standing at her foot, tears on her whiskers. The Tweedles held on to each other like they were the only things each other had. Bayard sat with his mate and sadly howled. Nivens blew into a handkerchief of the Dodo's. Thackery, however, stood there in shock. Suddenly, he began to laugh. Everyone stared at him.

"They're gone!" he exclaimed, twirling and hopping. "They're gone! They're all frizzled up and burnt and dead! Oh, they're burnt to a crisp! Ahahaha!"

Nivens stared sadly at him. "His family was killed by a fireblast. As was mine…" He began to cry again. "He's gone mad!"

More survivors-some from Witzend, some from other destroyed villages-began to show up to the Outlands. Everyone was crying. Mirana did the best she could to offer condolences, but she was worried sick about Tarrant…

Tarrant opened his eyes. At first he didn't remember anything, but it all came back to him as he stood up and looked around what was left of his village. Burning bodies were everywhere. Tarrant saw his mother's body clutching on to his father's. His younger siblings' corpses were all holding hands. Not one member of his family had survived. In shock and sadness, he picked up his fallen hat-the only reminder he had of his family now.

Suddenly, Tarrant let out a scream that seemed to shake the ground. In fury, he pulled at his curly hair, ripping it out. His eyes turned a dangerous orange color for the first time. He began to curse in a language he hadn't even heard of. He screamed to the sky unintelligible words.

That was the day Tarrant Hightopp became completely mad. Some have said that being a Hatter had already made him mad, but this was a different kind of mad. The Mad Hatter swore revenge on Horunvendush Day, as it was written in the Oraculum.

Iracebeth smiled as she put the crown on her head. "You did magnificentwy today, Jabber. I welieve you of your duties to me. You may leave if you wish."

The Jabberwocky bowed its head and flew off.

Stayne glanced at Iracebeth. "I have the Vorpal sword," he whispered.

The new Queen of Crims smiled again. "Brilliant, Stayne… wonderful… we must move on to the next part of the plan now…"

**That was quite depressing… **

**But I'd like to thank me readers for sticking with me so far, as well as my reviewers… this will be continued for only a few more chapters, then it's over! Don't worry; I have an idea for a story for Zombieland…**

**Anyways, Fairfarren until then!**

***Becca***


	10. Chapter 10: Discovery and the Beginning

**The end is nearing for this story, my dears. By the way, did anyone catch the reference for the Jabberwocky poem? I'll give whoever finds the reference to the poem an honorable mention in a future story of mine! And without further ado, the last chapter for ****The Young Queens****!**

**Chapter 10: Discovery and the Beginning**

Mirana sat mournfully beneath a tree in the Outlands. It had been scarcely a day since the Jabberwocky's attack, and the whole of Underland had fallen into despair. And Mirana knew all too well who had done it. Anyone could've figured it out: Iracebeth. Who else would do such a thing? She was the most evil person ever to have existed in Underland. Only she would cause such death and destruction. There were quite a few survivors, however. They sat around the former Queen, trying to comfort one another. They shared what they had seen on their way to the Outlands: Iracebeth was now the Queen-the Red Queen, they called her-and those who pledged loyalty were forced to work for her. Those who refused had their heads chopped off.

A small boy tugged at her sleeve. "What're we gonna do now, your Majesty?"

Mirana smiled sadly, and gave him a gentle hug. "I don't know, my dear. I don't know. But I know that someday the Red Queen will fall."

This didn't help the child. He went back sadly over to his mother.

"There he is!" Mallymkun suddenly shouted, pointing at a figure in the distance. Mirana stood up to see her favorite Hatter walking slowly towards the group.

"Tarrant!" she exclaimed, rushing to him. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right, I was-" She stopped, looking at his face. "Tarrant? What's wrong with your eyes?"

Tarrant didn't answer. He stared straight ahead, his yellow eyes glaring. He muttered something under his breath, which sounded faintly like a Scottish brogue.

"Look at me, Tarrant. It's going to be all right. We'll do… something…" Mirana trailed off, watching him nervously. He walked up to the survivors huddled under the tree.

"Citizens of Underland!" he suddenly thundered. "Today I have seen what I hope to never see again. Iracebeth has taken over and become the bloodthirsty Red Queen! But I, for one, will not stand by and let this happen!"

A few let out cheers of agreement; Thackery just let out a mad giggle.

"I ask of you, citizens, to rise up against the Bloody Big Head! We will not let our loved ones die in vain! Is anyone with me?!"

Many let out cheers and roars of defiance; Mirana stood watching in awe.

Tarrant's fury had died down, and his eyes faded to a light green color. "We must have a secret code and organization! I've already thought of some words for a secret language…"

"Hate to interrupt you all," Chessur's voice suddenly said, "But Absalom's back, and he has something to show you."

Nivens glared at the now-materializing cat. "And just what happened to you at Witzend? One minute you were there, the next you were gone! You coward!"

Chessur frowned regretfully. Without saying a word, he disappeared again, leaving Absalom in his place. Absalom had been gone mysteriously for about four years; it had happened after he went into his chrysalis stage. In reality, Absalom was up in Overland-it was simple: he would be a caterpillar, go into the chrysalis stage, and become a butterfly in Overland. Then he would die as a butterfly and reawaken again as a caterpillar in Underland.

"What is it, Absalom?" asked Mirana.

Absalom held out a scroll to her. He deeply regretted not sharing the Oraculum with her earlier, but he couldn't change the visions of the future with her.

"What is this?" Mirana curiously unfolded the Oraculum. Her eyes widened as she took in the moving drawings, and the names of the days. "It's a list of all the days of Underland! And… the future…" She looked ahead several years. On one day, a young blond girl would come to Underland and shake it to its roots-the girl from that recurring dream, Mirana realized. Even more later, she would come back and slay the Jabberwocky with the Vorpal sword, and Mirana would be the White Queen again.

Mirana sighed and felt much more relieved than she had in years. I_t's just a pity it has to be so long away, _she thought.

Iracebeth, now the Red Queen, scanned the line of prisoners from the next village she had destroyed. She began to question the loyalties, starting with the pigs. "Will you be loyal to the Wed Queen?" she asked the first pig.

"Yes, your Majesty," the pig replied tearfully.

"Excellent. You shall be… a footwest!" the Red Queen declared. She moved on to the next three pigs without any trouble, but the fourth one glared at her and declared, "I'll never bow down to you! My loyalties remain with the White Queen!"

Without hesitation, the bloodthirsty Queen said, "Off wiff his head."

Two of the Red Queen's knights, who looked like playing cards from the deck of hearts, escorted the squealing pig away.

This was how it had been for the whole day. About four-fifths of Underland had pledged loyalty to her so far, while others had their heads chopped off. She had made hedgehogs into croquet balls, flamingos into mallets, and monkeys and frogs into servants. The Red Queen knew not all in Underland were present, but it wasn't of too much concern to her. She already had so many people pledging to her, so what did it matter if some weren't there?

Iracebeth of Crims, the Red Queen, had never felt so happy or powerful in her whole life.

It was nearly evening. It had taken the group from the Outlands all day to reach Marmoreal, which everyone had decided the safest place to be-besides the Outlands. It was still as Mirana remembered it, but this time, the ghost of King Caleb lurked there. Since most of the survivors had no place else to stay, Mirana decided to let them stay at the castle until they wanted to leave and find a new place to live.

After a meal prepared by some cooks and Thackery, Mirana sat in her favorite pavilion, studying the Oraculum. The little blond girl should be discovering the rabbit hole very soon, due to her seeing Nivens.

"Mirana?" Tarrant stood in the entrance. "You said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did. I have an important job for you." Mirana showed him the little girl. "This young child is to be the savior of Underland. She shall come to us in a few days. I assign you to be her guardian, Tarrant. Make sure she finds her way around."

Tarrant's eyes glowed happily. "Of course, my Queen."

Mirana smiled sadly. "I'm not the Queen anymore, Tarrant, nor am I Mirana of Crims. I'm Mirana of Marmoreal now, you see. My sister has banished me from Crims; Chessur just told me."

Tarrant's face fell. But he smiled as he said, "You'll always be my White Queen, Mirana."

"You are truly my dearest friend, Tarrant." Mirana embraced him tightly. Tarrant returned the hug.

It had been a bittersweet day for the both of them. But out of the red and bloody ashes of death had come the white, pure flower of hope. It rested now on the shoulders of a blond, curious young girl named Alice Kingsleigh.

They sat for a while in the pavilion, holding hands and gazing into the stars. _Everything will be all right,_ thought the White Queen. _Even if it is a long time away, everything will be all right in the end. _

Much later, somewhere far away, in a garden in England, a little girl was not paying attention to her sister's reading lesson. Instead, she was more focused on a very late white rabbit. Curious, she followed him into a forest, where she noticed a large hole. As she leaned in closer to get a better view, she lost her footing and fell down the rabbit hole.

And so began Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

**The End.**

**Thank you for reading the story! I shall now be working on some one-shots for Zombieland, which should be published within a few days. **

**Fairfarren, my lovely readers!**

***Becca* **


End file.
